Sport
Water polo
- players
- 2–28
- minutes
- 60
- years
- 10+
In the box
A pool, a ball, two goals
Official rules (federation's site)
Box details
- Origin
- Traditional game, with no specific designer or publisher
- Mechanics
- Team-BasedDexterityReal-Time
Where to buy it
Near you
In a shop
Within 50 km.
The basics
Two teams of seven players, goalkeeper included, play swimming and never touching the bottom: the aim is to score more goals than the opponents. A match has four periods of eight minutes of actual play; the team with the ball has 28 seconds to shoot, and only the goalkeeper, within their 6-metre area, may touch the ball with both hands. An ordinary foul gives a free throw; an exclusion foul sends the offender out of the field of play for 18 seconds, and three personal fouls put them out of the match. Each goal is worth one point; if the score is level after the fourth period, a penalty shootout decides the winner.
Checked against the official rules · October 2026
The rules, step by step
Setup
7 per team in the water, 25 × 20 m field, Water at least 2 m deep
- Two teams of seven to fourteen registered players, including one or two goalkeepers. Seven per team in the water at the start, goalkeeper included; substitutions can be made at any time during play, through the re-entry area behind your own goal or the substitution area along the side.
- A field of play 25 metres by 20, for men and women alike, in water at least 2 metres deep.
- Two goals 3 metres wide, with the crossbar 90 centimetres above the water. Markers along the sides of the pool show the goal line, the 2, 5 and 6-metre lines at each end and the halfway line.
- The field players of a team all wear caps of the same colour, clearly different from the opponents’ (often white against blue), numbered in international matches; goalkeepers wear a red cap.
How to play
4 periods of 8 min, 28 seconds to shoot, Exclusion 18 seconds
- Four periods of eight minutes of actual play: the clock stops at every stoppage. Two minutes’ break between the first and second periods, and between the third and fourth; five minutes at half-time, after which the teams change ends.
- Each period starts with a sprint for the ball released on the halfway line, each team starting from its own goal line. After a goal, the team that conceded restarts from the halfway line.
- The team with the ball has 28 seconds to shoot. The clock resets to 18 seconds after a corner throw, when the team regains its own shot, or after an opponent’s exclusion if less time was left.
- Only the goalkeeper, within their 6-metre area, may touch the ball with both hands at once or punch it. Touching the bottom, sinking the ball when tackled or running out the 28 seconds are ordinary fouls: free throw to the opponents.
- An exclusion foul, such as holding, sinking or pulling back an opponent who does not have the ball, sends the offender to the re-entry area behind their goal: their team plays a player down for 18 seconds of actual play, or less if a goal is scored or the team wins the ball back.
- A foul that prevents a probable goal within the 6-metre area earns a penalty, taken from the 5-metre line.
- Three personal fouls, exclusions or penalties conceded, exclude the player for the rest of the match; a substitute may take their place. Violent action also excludes for the rest of the match; if committed during play, it gives the opponents a penalty, and the offending team stays a player down for four minutes of actual play.
- Each team has two one-minute timeouts per match, called when it has the ball or is due to put it back into play.
Scoring
1 goal = 1 point, Scored from anywhere, Not with a clenched fist
- A goal is worth one point, scored from anywhere in the field of play. An attacker may not score with a clenched fist.
- The whole ball must cross the goal line, between the posts and under the crossbar. An own goal counts for the opponents.
- In Marquoir, enter each goal as it goes in: the counter keeps one column per team, however many players are registered.
End of the game
Most goals wins, Shootout if level, 5 shooters per team
- The team that has scored the most goals at the end of the fourth period wins: a match always has a winner.
- If level, a penalty shootout follows: five shooters per team in turn, from the 5-metre line, then one shot each until one team scores and the other does not. The shootout stops as soon as one team can no longer be caught.
- By custom, the shootout goals are added to the final score: 7-7 at the end of regular time and 4-3 in the shootout is written 11-10. In Marquoir, enter them as goals, then end the game.
House rules and pitfalls
The figures on this page (25 metres for everyone, 28 seconds of possession, 18 seconds of exclusion…
- The figures on this page (25 metres for everyone, 28 seconds of possession, 18 seconds of exclusion, five minutes at half-time) are those of the February 2026 rules; an older rulebook or a local competition may use different ones.
- An attacker must not stay in the opponents’ goal area, the 2 metres in front of the goal and 2 metres either side of the posts, while ahead of the ball. Going past the 2-metre line outside that area is not a foul.
- Once the match has started, a team may do without a goalkeeper and play with seven field players.
- A player with three personal fouls, or excluded for the rest of the match, does not shoot in the penalty shootout.
Going further
Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Frequently asked questions
How many players, and where do you play?
Seven per team in the water, including a goalkeeper, out of fourteen registered at most. You play in a pool at least 2 metres deep: touching the bottom is forbidden, you swim the whole match.
Can you take the ball with both hands?
No, except the goalkeeper within their 6-metre area. Field players touch the ball with only one hand at a time and never punch it.
How long can you keep the ball?
28 seconds at most to shoot; only 18 seconds after a corner throw or when the team regains its own shot. Sinking the ball when tackled is a foul.
What is an exclusion?
An exclusion foul sends the player out of the field of play for 18 seconds of actual play: their team plays a player down, a key phase for scoring. At the third personal foul, the player is excluded for the rest of the match.
What happens in a tie?
There are no draws: a penalty shootout follows the fourth period, five shooters per team, then sudden death. By custom, the shootout goals are added to the final score.